In the Darkness, We Have Stolen
by Evil Queen of the Demon Pandas
Summary: Tohru, being the considerate, kind girl she is, never goes anywhere without telling someone. So what happens when one day, out of the blue, the residents of Shigure's house wake up to find the flower of their home gone? Rated for violence and language.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note:** First Furuba fanfic! Yay! dances I'm happy. Not that I don't love FFX, but I love Fruits Basket more. And seeing how as all my other fanfics are Final Fantasy, it seems fitting that I present this to you now. This is all I have at this moment, but I might add more later. Please review and tell me if you think I should continue this. Not real sure where it should go, but if there's interest in a continuation I'll figure out something. I've read the manga up through 13 (I have to wait until AUGUST for 14! I hate living in the States. ), and seen all the anime. So that's as far as my knowledge goes (or is it…?), so if you've read farther, please don't get mad at my ignorance. As always: thanks for reading! 3 & X

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Fruits Basket. All I own is my cat. But don't tell her I said that. She might cut my throat in my sleep.

Kyo prowled through every room, corridor, and linen closet of the house, his panic growing at every empty space. Eventually, he scowled and flung open the door. Yuki and Shigure looked up at him in surprise.

"Problems, Kyo-kun?" Shigure said calmly, returning to his newspaper.

"She left the house again! I can't find her anywhere!" he roared.

"Honda-san is…" Yuki began, then stopped. He tried again, frowning slightly. "She said she was going…" He shut his mouth, thinking hard. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember Tohru saying anything about leaving. "Do you know where she is?"

Shigure shook his head, looking up from his newspaper again. "No. I thought you two kept track of that sort of thing," he said.

"I don't think she said _where_ she was going today. Maybe she and her friends went somewhere spontaneously this morning," Yuki said, but he knew that wasn't right. She wouldn't just leave without saying something to at least one of them.

"Call 'em! That crazy psychic and the Yankee bitch. See if they know where she is," Kyo said stubbornly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"If you're so concerned, why don't you do it yourself?" Shigure sighed, sounding a little annoyed. He glanced longingly at his paper. It seemed that his peaceful Saturday morning simply wasn't going to happen.

Kyo turned bright red and mumbled something about not wanting to call girls. Yuki stood up and walked toward the phone. "I'll do it," he said.

Kyo looked at him suspiciously. Was Yuki being…_nice_? No way. Wasn't possible. He was too idiotic to be nice to anyone except Tohru, but everyone was nice to her.

"Stupid cat," Yuki added.

–_Told ya_,–Kyo thought wryly.

Yuki dialled the numbers and waited for a moment. "Uotani-san? It's Yuki Sohma. I'm sorry to bother you at home," he began politely. There was a slight pause. "Actually, I was wondering if you knew where Honda-san is. We seem to have misplaced her." Another pause, in which the worry in Yuki's eyes became evident. "No, please don't worry. I'm sure she's just gone to the store or something." More silence. Kyo was starting to get annoyed. Crazy-Yankee-Lady obviously didn't know where Tohru was, so why didn't Yuki just hang up already? "Thank you for your time. If you hear from her, would you please tell her to call us?" Another pause, much shorter, and then Yuki told Uotani good-bye and dialled another number.

"If the crazy Gothic girl doesn't know, we're screwed. She knows _everything_. Too much, if you ask me," Kyo grumbled.

Yuki rolled his eyes and was about to shoot back some sort of insult when Hanajima picked up the phone. "Hanajima-san? It's Yuki Sohma. I'm sorry to bother you this early in the morning," he said, almost exactly as he had to Uotani. A surprised expression came over his face. "Well…um…yes. I _was_ calling to find Honda-san." Kyo grunted, an 'I-told-you-so' noise. Yuki ignored him. "Oh. Well, thank you. If you hear from her, would you please tell her to call us? We're starting to get a bit worried." Kyo was starting to get sick of pauses. "Oh. Um…yes. I should have figured that. Thank you. Good-bye."

Shigure raised one eyebrow. "They don't know where she is?" he said flatly.

Yuki shook his head. "No. Hanajima-san said Honda-san's waves were very faint, like she's far away. She also knew that we were worried. More wave-reading, I suppose."

"That girl's going to wave-read her way into trouble one day," Kyo said darkly.

Yuki just kept ignoring him. That was, after all, generally the best thing to do. "Maybe we should go look for her. It's not like her to disappear without telling anyone," he said, glancing toward the door as if he expected Tohru to come bouncing in at that very moment.

"I'll call Haa-san. Maybe he's heard from her. She likes visiting Momitchi and Kisa-kun," Shigure said absently, and he walked toward the phone to call the Sohma doctor.

"I'm going to the roof." Kyo suddenly vanished, scrambling away before anyone could protest.

Not like they would.

Yuki sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger. Worry was building in him, no matter how hard he tried to push it down. Tohru was always so concerned about the feelings of other people; it was definitely out of character for her to just up and leave. In anyone else, the behaviour could have perhaps been excused as just lapse in judgement, but not for her. She was different.

"Haa-san hasn't seen her, and neither has Kisa-kun. She wouldn't go to the estate without seeing one of them, so she must not be there," Shigure said, hanging up the phone.

Yuki scowled. "So now what? We call the police?"

"And tell them what? That we've misplaced our teenage girl? I can hear it now. 'Yes, officer. She's been gone half an hour. No, officer. I'm not joking. Yes, I want a search party. The whole town. Yes, officer. I'm sure I'm sane.'" Shigure gave Yuki an exasperated look.

"We'll just have to go after her ourselves, then," Yuki said fiercely.

Shigure raised one hand. "Now, now, Yuki-kun. We shouldn't panic yet,"  
he said serenely, but Yuki heard the nervousness in his voice.

"Can't you…I don't know…sniff her out or something?" Yuki demanded.

"I'm the Dog, Yuki-kun, not a bloodhound. I'm not meant to 'sniff people out'," Shigure said delicately.

Yuki suppressed a groan of annoyance. Of course Shigure picked _now_ to be an ass. Wait…he was always like that.

Nevermind.

The rest of the day passed in agony. Shigure refused to let Kyo or Yuki leave, so they were trapped, confined to the house that Kyo never even wanted to be in to begin with. Every little noise made them bolt for the front door, and every time the phone rang (which Kyo was sure it was doing just to piss him off), they picked it up before the first ring had finished. By the time the sun slipped behind the horizon and darkness crept into every crevice of the outside world, their nerves were beaten nearly to death.

"Maybe we _should_ be worried…" Shigure said, standing at the door and looking out at the dark.

"I told you that twelve hours ago," Kyo and Yuki said in unison, the anger in their voices matching.

Shigure made a 'hmmm' noise and drifted back into the kitchen. "I should try calling Haa-san again…"

He left Kyo and Yuki sitting alone in the middle of the floor. Their eyes were trained on the door, as if they could will her back.

"So what now?" Kyo asked quietly, his voice breaking the deathly silence.

"We go after her. Police or no police," Yuki said firmly.

"Sounds good. Let's go."

They were too preoccupied with stressing about Tohru to even remember to hate each other. They stood up and stepped out of the door, the darkness swallowing even Yuki's pale hair. When Shigure walked back into the room, he wasn't surprised at the empty room. "You lasted longer than I thought you would," he said mildly.

His only answer was the wind that whispered through the open door.


	2. Chapter 2

The first thing Tohru noticed was the darkness. It was so black, pressing in on her like some monstrous animal, thirsty for her blood. She sat up, her head aching. Her muscles were stiff, and she wondered how long she'd been asleep. She pressed one hand to her temple, and found something warm and sticky under her fingers. For a moment, she was surprised. She rubbed her fingers together, wondering what it was. Suddenly, it hit her, and she gasped. "I'm bleeding!" she said into the darkness.

No one answered. She stood up, stretching. Yawning, she listened hard into the silence. There were no sounds, nothing to indicate where she was. She thought hard, trying to remember what had happened. She obviously wasn't in Shigure-san's house, but where else would she be?

She closed her eyes, plunging into her own memories. She remembered going to bed the night before, and thinking briefly of the beautiful Saturday awaiting her the next day. She…she'd woken up, at some point. Yes. A nightmare, maybe? No…she was thirsty. That was it. She'd gone to the kitchen, making sure to be extra careful so she didn't wake up anyone else. She'd gotten a glass of milk. That she remembered well, because she remembered thinking about how Kyo-kun would drink from that very carton the next morning, and how Yuki-kun would probably hit him for it. She'd taken her milk to the window, to look out. Yes. She was standing in front of the kitchen window, in her favourite pajamas with the polar bears on them, looking out at the night. She was worrying about Kyo-kun and Yuki-kun, and wondering sadly if they would ever be friends. She had just finished her milk when she saw something. A cat? No. Too small. Maybe a dog? No…this thing walked on two legs. It had to be a person. A person, coming through the night toward the house. She had been too scared to scream. She remembered the fear, and how it had gripped her so tight. The next thing she remembered was the person standing by her, and something was in its hand. A club, or a stick. Maybe the person had hit her? But…_why_?

Whatever the 'why' was, it was certain to have something to do with her strange surroundings. She frowned slightly and sat back down. She folded her hands in her lap, noticing she was still wearing her polar bear pajamas. Her feet were still bare, just like they had been. Whoever had hit her hadn't bothered to find shoes. And why would they?

"I hope Kyo-kun and Yuki-kun aren't too worried about me," she said anxiously. She knew how easily Kyo-kun got upset, and he usually managed to make Yuki-kun angry, too. "I should be going home soon, so they'll know I'm okay." For some reason, talking aloud made her feel better. It drove the darkness a little ways away, like a tiny candle.

"You're not going anywhere," a voice growled.

Tohru yelped and looked around wildly. "H-hello?" she stammered. No one answered, just like before, but this time she knew someone was there. "Um…c-could you please tell me where I am?" she called.

There was a shuffling to her left, like someone moving. She bit her lip, staring as hard as she could into the dark. For a long time, nothing else happened. Then, so suddenly she screamed, a match was struck, not more than a foot from her head. A pale, grinning face appeared, lit by the flickering flame. "Hello, Tohru-san," the same voice said.

Tohru stared at the face. It was familiar, somehow… "Akito-san!" she gasped. She instinctively bowed clumsily.

"Yes. Yes…Akito-san. Head of the Sohmas. God of the Sohmas. Puppet Master of the Sohmas," Akito-san said, her voice raising to a high-pitched shriek. She let out a demented giggle, and Tohru couldn't stop a shiver. "Do I disgust you, Tohru-san?" Akito-san's voice was mocking.

Tohru shook her head fervently. "Oh, no. I'm just a little jumpy, that's all," she said, laughing nervously.

"And well you should be." Akito-san suddenly stood up, taking the match with her. "They won't find you, you know. Your darling Kyo and Yuki."

Tohru looked up at her curiously. "Wh-where _am_ I?" she asked timidly.

Akito-san spun, her eyes blazing with a wild, insane light. "You are in your own special room. I had it built, just for you. Just like Yuki in his time, and Kyo in his. They will look, and look. But they will not find their precious Tohru-san. Their princess will not be there to find. They will find only bones, picked clean by the rats Yuki is so…_attached_ to. They will drive themselves mad, and, in the end, drive themselves back to me. I will be their protector. I will take away the pain…" Akito-san's laughter echoed around the darkness, and suddenly the light cast by the match vanished. Tohru heard a door open, then, a moment later, shut.

She blinked in the dark. Akito-san's words whirled around her head. Yuki-kun and Kyo-kun…what would become of them? They wouldn't really go crazy looking for her…would they? –_Of course not,_–a voice in Tohru's head scolded. –_Akito-san is only trying to scare you. You know she doesn't like you, and she just wants you to worry._–

"It's working," Tohru whispered miserably. She laid down on the floor again, curling into a tiny ball. Her eyes filled with tears, and she couldn't stop them. She didn't even try. They fell from her eyes to the ground that she couldn't see. She didn't know how long it was before she fell asleep. The last thing she remembered was the darkness, circling her viciously, and Akito-san's laughter, echoing in her ears like a maniacal music box…


	3. Chapter 3

Two shadows darted through the darkness, moving swiftly across the dirt road. Kyo kept leaping ahead, running forward and falling back again, unable to maintain any sort of steady pace. Yuki walked quickly and firmly, his feet beating a light, fixed cadence on the ground.

"Hurry up, you damn rat! She's out there in the middle of the night! God only knows what'll happen to her while you're back here being _slow_!" Kyo hissed, his eyes flashing dangerously in the gloom. The darkness around them was near complete, broken only by the few rays of moonlight that pushed their way through the leaves above the two.

"Honda-san is a smart girl. I'm sure that when it got dark, she found somewhere to be," Yuki said calmly.

"_No she wouldn't!_ She's probably wandering the streets, asking axe-murderers for directions home and taking rides from rapists…" It freaked Kyo out just thinking about it. He ran forward again, practically dancing on his toes.

Yuki stayed silent. Tohru probably _would_ do something like that. She was too trusting; normally, it was one of her most endearing qualities, but when she was lost somewhere, it just made him worry. He broke into a trot, his steps lengthening.

"Now we're getting somewhere!" Kyo crowed. He matched Yuki's pace step for step, and they hurried toward the city lights. Shigure's house wasn't but a few miles from their high school, which was a good five minutes' walk from downtown. The two of them, their bodies in peak health from rigorous martial arts training, could make good time if they wanted to.

And oh, did they want to.

It wasn't fifteen minutes after that until they were walking into the building where Tohru worked. Along the way, they sort-of agreed on a few places she might be, and here was at the top of the list.

"Yuki is here!" a familiar voice cried happily, and suddenly someone jumped on Yuki's back. "Kyo, too!" Momiji smiled at the Cat from around the lollipop in his mouth.

"Hey, Momiji," Yuki said as the half-German let go and dropped to the ground.

"Have you seen her?" Kyo demanded. It never even occurred to him that Momiji wouldn't know who 'her' was.

Lucky for them, he instantly understood. The Rabbit shook his head. "No. Tohru didn't have to work today, and she hasn't been to the main house," he said, crunching into the candy. His big brown eyes were suddenly sad. "I asked her yesterday if she would come see me, and she promised she would. Tohru _always_ keeps her promises, but she didn't come. I waited allll day, but I never saw her!" His eyes welled up with tears.

Yuki gave the younger boy a quick hug. "When we see her, we'll make sure to tell her you waited for her. I'm sure something very important came up. She probably tried her very hardest to come see you. She'll be very upset that you worried about her," he assured him.

Momiji perked up. "Tell her I miss her!" he said, then he grinned and bounced away, singing some made-up song at the top of his lungs. "_Who's in the forest strolling? The birds and the bees sing 'Momiji'_…"

Yuki sighed. "This makes it worse," he said grimly.

"What? That the kid sings?" Kyo grumbled, wincing.

Yuki rolled his eyes. "Honda-san wouldn't skip meeting with Momiji-kun unless she wasn't _able_. Something–or someone–kept her from leaving wherever she is," he snapped. "Honestly. I would assume even a _cat_ could figure that out."

Kyo growled low in his throat and was about to snap back an insult when Yuki's pocket began playing a high-pitched, canned tune. Kyo yelped and scrambled backwards.

Yuki smirked and pulled the cell phone out of his pocket. "Jumpy, are we?" he said mockingly. He flipped the little silver phone open and said, "Hello?", ignoring Kyo's furious griping.

For a moment, there was nothing but silence. Yuki frowned. "Hello?" he repeated.

A sinister giggle crackled from the tiny speaker. Terror suddenly gripped him, locking his muscles and sending panicked thoughts whirling around his mind.

Kyo glanced at his cousin. "What's wrong with _you_?" he demanded.

Yuki swallowed hard. "A-Akito?" he managed to choke out.

"Ah, so you do remember me. I was afraid you'd forgotten. It has been _so_ long since I've seen you, Yuki," Akito purred.

Kyo's jaw dropped. "Akito?" he mouthed.

Yuki could barely nod. He couldn't even make a retort about having already said that. Fear was shutting down everything but the most basic of functions.

"You're awfully quiet, Yuki. Don't you want to ask me some things?" Akito pressed.

The realisation hit Yuki like shrapnel. "Where is she? What have you done with her?" He fought to keep his voice from a scream.

Kyo's eyes widened, and for the first time, he experienced what it was like to have the blood drain from your face. The room began to swirl around him as light-headedness ran into him at full force. His stomach heaved, and he stared at Yuki, forgetting his hate for the first time in a long time.

"Why, she's right here, of course. I have gotten so very lonely since you stopped your visits, Yuki, and I needed some company. She's such a sweet girl, and _terribly_ cute. Isn't that right, Tohru-san?" Akito's voice was dripping with sickly sweetness.

For an agonisingly long moment, there was only silence. Then Tohru's voice came through the phone, shaking and terrified, but definitely alive. "Yu-Yuki-kun?" she asked in a tiny voice.

"Honda-san!" he cried.

"It's her?" Kyo's fingers itched to grab the phone from Yuki, just to hear her voice. But he knew that all it would do would be make Yuki angry, and while they were fighting, Tohru might hang up.

Yuki ignored him. "Honda-san, are you all right?" he asked urgently.

"Um…I…" She hesitated.

In the background, Yuki could hear Akito. "Tell him you're fine. Tell him, girl!" There was the crack of a whip, and Yuki couldn't hold back a gasp.

Tohru screamed, and then he could hear quiet sobbing.

"Honda-san! Honda-san!" he shouted. She didn't answer. "Tohru!" For the first time, he used her given name. He was too panicked to even care.

"I-I'm all right, Yuki-kun. Please don't worry about me," she sniffed.

He wanted to shake her. How could she be thinking of him when Akito was doing God-knows-what to her? "Honda-san, where are you?"

"I-I don't know," she replied, and he knew she was telling the truth. It was entirely too easy to tell when she lied.

"Can you guess? We'll get Shigure and Hatori, and we'll come get you," Yuki said.

"No, please! Stay where you are. I'm fine, really. You and Kyo-kun should just worry about yourselves. Please…" Tohru started crying again.

Kyo couldn't stand it anymore. He ripped the phone from Yuki's hand, and much to his surprise, the Rat didn't protest. "Tohru?" he barked into the phone.

"Kyo-kun?" The wavering hope in her voice nearly broke him.

"Is Akito there? What's she doing to you?" he demanded.

"Sh-she's not doing anything. We're just sitting here," she said quietly.

Kyo knew better than to believe her. Akito didn't kidnap people just to 'sit there'. "Is she hurting you?"

Tohru didn't respond.

"Why aren't you talking to him, Tohru-san? Did he ask for your hand in marriage?" Akito laughed. There was the sound of fists thudding on flesh, and he counted five punches before the noise ceased.

Tohru whimpered quietly, and he could hear her muffled sobs, no matter how she tried to stifle them.

Kyo had never wanted to kill so badly as he did right then.

"Tohru, we're coming to get you," he said grimly.

"No!" she screamed. Kyo was taken aback by the vehemence of her rejection. "You can't. Please, just…stay away. I'm fine. Just don't come looking for me," she added hastily.

He just grunted. "Fight back, Tohru. Try to fight her," he said softly.

"I-I can't…"

Suddenly, the phone went dead. "Tohru! Tohru!" he shouted. But she was gone.

He threw the phone across the room furiously. "Damn it!" he roared.

Momiji's big brown eyes suddenly appeared from around the corner. "What's wrong, Kyo?" he whimpered.

Kyo pretended he didn't hear and ran from the building. Even Yuki didn't go to comfort the boy. He just gave a tired smile and followed the Cat.

Momiji watched them leave. "Where is Tohru?" he wailed, and his voice echoed around the empty room. No one was there to answer the cries of a lonely Rabbit.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note:** Yay! People actually have interest in my stories! I'm happeh. So…here's the next chapter! Sorry it's kind of short. I guess I'm just running low on creative energy. Maybe I should feng-shui my room or something. I know it's not exactly as…um…"heart-wrenching" as the others, but the way I figure it, if you've got too much of that emotional stuff, it just turns into an overload. So here's chapter four, for your reading enjoyment. As always: thanks for reading!

* * *

Shigure stood alone in his house, staring at the phone. For once, the empty house was more of an annoyance than a comfort. Usually, he was happy just to regain the peace and solidarity having his own house brought. The long years spent in the main house had acclimatised him to being alone with only his thoughts and Akito for company. He'd bought a house "outside" to get even further from the Sohmas, and now he had three teenagers milling around all the time. 

But the suffocating stillness wasn't the only thing that disturbed him. His conscience, too, had suddenly decided to kick in. –_I've gone my whole life keeping that thing in check, and it picks _now_ to wake up_,–he grumbled silently. It was like having someone constantly poking him in the shoulder and glaring, always reminding him of his role in this madness. Honestly, it was reminiscent of having Hatori behind him all the time.

He lied. When he told the kids that he didn't know where Tohru was, he'd been forced to tell a straight-out lie. He knew exactly where she was, and he knew exactly why she was there. And while he didn't know the whole of Akito's plan–whether she trusted him or not, she never told anyone the entirety of what went on behind those purple eyes–he knew enough for his conscience to be decidedly annoyed.

So he'd called Hatori. In a possibly vain attempt to calm his nerves, he'd put in a request to the Sohma doctor that he make sure Tohru was, at least, still alive. He was slightly proud of himself for it, too. He'd had to deal with Hatori's "you shouldn't manipulate people" lecture for his trouble. Though, of course, his conscience even had issues with _that_. According to that damned ever-holy voice in the back of his mind, he shouldn't pride himself on doing something he should've done in the first place.

He was so lost in his own mind that the ringing of the phone took a minute to reach him. Finally, he blinked and picked it up.

"Haa-san! I knew you'd call back. You're so trustworthy," he sang.

"Yes. Per your instructions, I checked on Honda-kun. She is, in fact, alive. Possibly unconscious, and beaten fairly badly, but alive all the same. There. Are you satisfied?" the voice on the other end snapped.

"Ooo! Haa-san, you sound so _tense_!" Shigure teased.

"Unlike you, Shigure, I'm having a serious moral dilemma over this. It's one thing for Akito to do such things to Kyo or Yuki, but to involve Honda-kun? This may be going too far. But who am I to go against Akito's wishes?" Hatori said, his tone going to a level of coldness that was haunting, even for him.

–_If only you knew_,–Shigure thought wryly. Aloud, he said, "It's not as if I'm enjoying this. But what must be done, must be done. Tohru knew what she was getting into. She could've left months ago, but she's still around."

"She stays for them! You know damn well she wouldn't have stayed more than necessary if it weren't for those two," Hatori retorted, anger colouring his voice.

"Well…yes," Shigure admitted. "But if she survives this, just think about how much stronger their relationships will be!" he added cheerfully.

Hatori didn't reply. There was a click, and Shigure sighed. "I really didn't mean to make you angry, too, Haa-san," he said to a dead line. He hung up the phone, his conscience slightly quieter.

Suddenly, he wasn't sure what to do with himself. For a moment, he considered finishing his manuscript, but then remembered it was due the next day. He wasn't hungry, he wasn't tired…he was completely devoid of anything except twinges of guilt every now and then. It was enormously frustrating, this lack of need or want. Finally, mostly for something to do than anything else, he sat down in front of the television. He flipped to some stupid reality show, figuring he needed something so totally asinine as people willing to make fools of themselves in public to take his mind off the situation at hand.

It was so mind-numbing, in fact, that he eventually drifted off to sleep. His dreams were filled with eyes that glared at him and seemed to probe directly into his soul, exposing his darkest feelings. Needless to say, it was not exactly the most restful sleep ever.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note:** I am so, so, so very sorry it took me so long to update. I've been working on two science projects, so most of my free time has been eaten up by that. I'm taking both Biology Honours and Chemistry Honours this semester, so I had to do a science project for each class or else I fail. Oh, and I got a new video game in which I kill Nazi zombies. Not that any of these are excuses for making you nice people wait, but anyway. So here it is! All hot and fresh from the oven. I hope it lives up to your standards. (Check the bottom for all my thanks to you guys! )

* * *

Haru wandered aimlessly down another identical hallway, his hands in his pockets. A faint noise was tap-dancing on the back of his mind, not readily recognisable but not easy to ignore, either. It was an oddly familiar noise, but he still couldn't place it. He wasn't particularly concerned, anyway. He was too busy trying to figure out where he was. Even after living all of his sixteen years of his life in the Sohma main house, he still got lost. It was a habit of his. 

As he turned yet another corner that led to yet another hall, the noise grew louder. He frowned slightly. Now it was impossible to simply pretend it was a trick of his mind; he could definitely feel his eardrums vibrating. He shuffled down the hall, not bothering to quicken his pace. Still…he couldn't suppress the curiosity. Sometimes, he could've sworn he was supposed to be born the Monkey instead of the Ox.

His feet carried him further down the hall and closer to the single door at the end of it. The closer he got, the louder the sound became. The louder the sound became, the clearer the memories became. For some reason, he was thinking of Kisa, before Tohru had met her and coaxed the words out of her again. The Kisa that never spoke, but spent so many nights crying in her room, curled up in a ball on her bed. Before he could reach it, however, and put an end to the curiosity that was fighting for control in his mind, someone grabbed his elbow.

Haru spun, surprised. He found himself staring into frantic purple eyes, and a smile began to spread across his face. "Yu–" he started, but he didn't get to finish.

"There's no time. Haru, you've got to tell me where Hatori is," Yuki said, his face even paler than usual. Kyo was behind him, his orange hair standing everywhere.

"Uh…last time I looked, he was in his office," Haru said, slightly bewildered.

"He's not there anymore. We already checked," the Rat said impatiently.

"Why do you need Hatori? Why are you at the main house? Are you okay, Yuki?" Haru peered anxiously into Yuki's eyes. He'd rarely seen his cousin lose it so badly. Kyo, too, looked like he'd been through the washer a few times, but he had a tendency to get that way after a bad temper tantrum.

"I'm–no, it's not me; it's–it doesn't matter! Hatori is the only one who would know!" Yuki said, sounding more and more frustrated with each word.

"Know _what_?" Haru persisted.

"There he is!" Kyo suddenly tore back down the hall Haru had just left. Yuki spun and followed without a word, leaving Haru with his unanswered questions still in his throat.

* * *

"Hatori!" 

The Sohma doctor kept walking. He didn't really think Yuki would give up and stop chasing him, but he could always hope. He'd only gone a few more steps, however, before he felt a hand gripping his sleeve tightly. He looked down and saw Yuki and Kyo, each panting, their eyes silently beseeching.

"Yuki." He sighed heavily. There wasn't any point in hiding his guilt. He was too tired to bother.

"Where is she, Hatori? Honda-san," Yuki demanded.

"I can't tell you," Hatori said gravely.

"What the hell is your problem!" Kyo exploded, his crimson eyes blazing. He stepped forward, obviously ready to bash Hatori's skull in right then and there.

Yuki threw out an arm to stop him. "Shut up! It's not his fault!"

Kyo stared at his cousin. "Of course it's his fault! He won't tell us!"

Yuki didn't respond. He just turned back to Hatori, lifting his face to peer directly into the doctor's eyes. "Please, Hatori. Just tell us where she is," he pleaded softly, his grey eyes shining.

Suddenly, Hatori was reminded of a much younger Yuki, tugging on a high-school Hatori's sleeve in the same way, looking up with tears running down his face and begging, "Please, Ha'ri! Don't make them forget. They're my friends! Please! I don't want them to forget me."

Hatori closed his eyes and sighed again. "I'm not saying that you'll find anything, but you should go back down this hall, turn left, and go to the door at the end of that hall. It seems to me that that would be a good place to check," he said gravely.

Yuki nodded once, his face set in grim determination. "Let's go, Kyo." He turned and began to walk quickly down the hall.

"But-but that doesn't make any sense! We should be finding Tohru, not checking random rooms!" Kyo stood his ground, glaring from one cousin to the other.

"You idiot; that's where she is," Yuki hissed, grabbing Kyo's elbow and dragging him down the hallway.

"Oh."

Hatori watched the two hurry quietly away, his hands in his pockets. For some reason, he felt a tiny bit lighter, as if, perhaps, one of the many hurts he'd inflicted in his life was beginning to heal. He turned and shuffled back to his office. Once Honda-kun was gone, he knew Akito would be furious. Probably at him.

He didn't care.

* * *

**Author's note:**This is my individual thanks to the people who've reviewed. I don't know why, but I get really excited whenever someone reviews. I dunno. I'm crazy, I guess. Please forgive this unworthy one for taking so long! (Sorry. _Rurouni_ Kenshin flashback. ) 

**Rose of Death**: I hope it wasn't _too_ sad. Wait...this is an angst fic. So I guess sad is good...

**TOKYOPOPer**: Again with the sad! I heard once that cheerful writers write depressing things. I guess that makes me pretty damn cheerful, then.

**Cainan**: My biggest fan. Thanks so much for BOTH your reviews. Sorry it took me so long to update. But I'm SO glad you like it!

**i-luv-the-cat-sohma52**: Thanks. I was really worried that I made the whole emotional thing too dramatic, so I'm glad you didn't think so!

**inulover411**: Yay! More people who love my story! I'm a Kyo fan, too. I'm going to try to avoid pairings, but if it comes down to it, I'll lean more toward Kyoru than Yukiru. Not that I don't love Yuki. I just love Kyo more.

That's it, folks. Keep reviewin'!


	6. Chapter 6

Tohru wrapped her arms around her legs, burying her face in her knees. The darkness faithfully kept her surroundings hidden from her, making every sound twice as loud as usual. Every so often, sinister giggles would erupt around her, never in the same place. A whip cracked through the air as often as the horrid laughter, occasionally hitting its mark and biting painfully into her exposed skin. Again it flew through the air, and again it ripped a small gash in her flesh. She bit back a whimper and hunched her shoulders, trying to make herself as small a target as possible. She didn't dare move for fear of walking straight into Akito-san's clutches.

The hours dragged on. Slowly, the physical torture ceased; she could not, however, escape the emotional torment. Even as Tohru, wincing and gasping in pain, attempted to clumsily bandage her bloodied torso, Akito-san's constant hiss of insults and threats never ebbed. Hatori had been allowed in for exactly give minutes just after Akito-san's vicious blows suddenly stopped. He had been the only human other than Akito-san Tohru had actually seen since her capture. Over and over she replayed their conversation, the words that had left her confused but hopeful.

"Honda-kun." She could still hear the heartbreaking sympathy and pity in his voice, could still feel his cool hands lightly brushing her bruised, aching flesh. The rectangle of light from the doorway illuminated his tired face.

"Hatori…san?" she had gasped, struggling to lift herself up off the floor.

"Don't even try it. You just rest." His frustrated sigh had made Tohru want to reassure him, but she simply couldn't. "I need more than five minutes. I need to take you to the office…"

"Kyo-kun…Y-Yuki-kun?" she had forced out.

"They're fine. I don't think it'll be long before they'll stop by to visit," he had said in a low tone, giving her a meaningful look as he calmly wrapped her bleeding wrist.

"No! Akito-san…" Panic gave her the energy for a few more words.

"You rest. Let us worry." He'd barely gotten the words out when Akito had come for him, shrieking angrily about him taking more time than was needed.

Tohru had been alone since then, keeping company with the hissing voice and her muddled thoughts. She scratched absently at her leg, frowning slightly. The blood had dried, leaving her skin itchy under the thin, flaky film. The itching was the least of her worries, however. Everything ached, everything was sore. Anxiety for Kyo-kun and Yuki-kun clawed at her heart like a rabid animal. Akito-san's stream of threats–

Had stopped. Tohru paused in her scratching, listening hard to the silence. Yes. For the first time, it was true silence. She blindly, slowly, painfully stumbled to her feet. If the torture was to continue, she would meet it on her feet–no matter how unsteady they may be.

Footsteps outside the door. Her hands became clammy and cold. Quiet voices. She clenched her jaw to keep herself from vomiting up her fear. The door sliding open. She locked her knees to keep them from shaking…

"Honda-san!"

"Yuki-kun!" she cried.

"What…how…?" Yuki crossed the room in two steps and reached out for her, abandoning his attempts to find the right words.

"You shouldn't be here." Despite her best efforts, she began to sob brokenly, half from relief and half from fear.

"Fuck that. _You're_ the one who shouldn't be here." Kyo's gruff, angry voice came to her the moment his hand touched her shoulder.

Clinging to Yuki's hand, she grabbed a handful of Kyo's shirt desperately. "You have to go!" she pleaded again.

"We know. And you're coming with us," Yuki said firmly.

"C'mon. Can you walk?" Kyo, with unusual gentleness, slipped his arm under Tohru's and around her back. Yuki mutely did the same, and the three limped awkwardly out of the one-roomed prison.

They'd barely made it five feet when Akito stepped out of a door not ten yards away.

"Akito!" Hatori's panicked voice shot out from behind her.

A fierce scowled twisted the Goddess's elfin face. "Shut up," she snarled.

Before anyone could even realise what the gleam of dying sunlight meant, Akito pulled the trigger. Tohru's scream couldn't be heard over the gun's explosion. Hatori's strangled yell of pain echoed in the deafening silence following the shot. As the three teenagers watched in horror, the head of the Sohma family turned the gaping mouth of the pistol on them.

**A/N:** Dun, dun, duuuuun! -dramatic gasp- What's to happen to our poor dears? You decide! Choose any one (or two. Or all of them, if you so prefer) of three sets of endings: Cyanide, Can't Get Something For Nothing, or Death of an Angel. All very angsty, very w00t. Please review, even if it's just to tell me how much you hate me because I never update. –hangs her head in shame– I deserve it. BUT! I do have the first chapter of Cyanide written, just so you know. So I'll be posting that ASAP. Just keep that in mind.

P.S. I'm considering changing my penname to Evil Queen of the Demon Pandas. What do y'all think?


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